


maple syrup

by itisjosh



Series: onlypain [15]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Beekeeping, Bees, Best Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Leaving Home, Moving On, Music, On the Run, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Running Away, Sort Of, Symbolism, aftermath of war, angst at first, farming, it gets a lot softer (sadly), it's mostly fluff, let's pretend nov 16th didn't happen, shhh let me have this ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27588035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: "We could run," Tubbo stares at the sun. "We've got everything we've ever wanted right here. We could run.""Yeah," Tommy agrees, feeling his head swim. "We could."(or, tommy and tubbo run away together)
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Series: onlypain [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027711
Comments: 49
Kudos: 515





	maple syrup

Tommy has all three discs. 

Tommy has all of his discs back, he has them _all back_. None of them are gone, he..he has them. He has his best friend by his side, he's got his discs in his Ender chest. He slouches on the bench, wishing that he could feel something other than confusion. Tommy can't feel anything other than muddled emotions, all fighting to be at the forefront of his head. He shifts, watching as the sun slowly starts to rise, the stars starting to disappear. 

Eret's castle is always present, its beacons blotting out some of the natural sky, blurring everything together. Tommy looks over at Tubbo, who isn't looking back at him. He's just staring straight ahead, his eyes blank. Tommy does the same, his heart pounding in his chest. Tubbo never looks like that. He always has some form of emotion on his face, he _always_ does. He always carries his heart on his sleeve, and he always has. But right now, he's..he's completely devoid of everything. His eyes are blank, his mouth is drawn into a thin line. He can barely hear Cat over the roaring in his head, his thoughts screaming at him. 

"We could run," Tubbo stares at the sun. "We've got everything we've ever wanted right here. We could run."

"Yeah," Tommy agrees, feeling his head swim. "We could." Saying the words makes his chest hurt, it makes his head spin. It makes him feel like he's giving up, like he's a coward. Tommy isn't a coward, he's not..he isn't. He's not a fucking coward. Running away would make him one, but he isn't going to. He isn't going to run away. He wants to, Tommy wants to _so badly_ , but he can't. He can't let Wilbur blow up L'manberg, not after all they've been through to get it back. He can't let that happen, and he isn't going to. 

"We should," Tubbo whispers, his voice uncannily steady. Tubbo's voice always cracks and breaks in situations like these, Tommy _knows that_. He's know Tubbo for so long, and this isn't like him at all. When he's scared, he makes it so obvious. Why isn't he being obvious right now? Why is he so calm, so formal? What's going on? "Tommy," Tubbo turns to look at him, his eyes shining. They're filled with raw pain, filled with raw grief and agony and sadness. "We can't win. No one is on our side other than us," he shakes his head, and Tommy swears he sees tears in his best friend's eyes. "We need to go, Tommy. We've got nothing here anymore." 

Tommy shakes his head, biting down on his lip. "No, that's not..that's not true," he looks away from Tubbo, his heart slamming in his chest. "I've got L'manberg- _we've_ got L'manberg. Tubbo, we fought so hard for our country, we can't just give it up now," he shakes his head again, watching as the sky starts changing colours. "I can't let it get blown up."

"It won't," Tubbo whispers, squeezing his eyes shut. "Once Wilbur realises that he's lost you, he won't do it. He can't do it, he's only doing it because he- because he thinks you'll be with him. He won't do it if he's alone, Tommy. We have to go. It's a two person war, and we're not going to win it. Dream is on Wilbur's side, and he has better gear than us. We'd die, Tommy. I don't want to die again. I'm so tired of dying," Tubbo turns to face him again. "Tommy. Please, we can't do it. We're not going to win. We've got everything we ever wanted. We've got your discs, and I..I don't have anything left here," he sounds _so tired_. When did he get so tired? "L'manberg isn't home anymore, Tommy. This place, this..this.." he gestures around. "This _hellhole_ , none of this is fucking home. I'm lost, Tommy. I've got nothing left other than you." 

"But.." Tommy pulls his knees up to his chest, closing his eyes. "We fought so hard for L'manberg."

"And yet we lost it," Tubbo scoffs. "It doesn't matter what we do, Tommy, you- you've gotta realise that. Schlatt isn't going to back down no matter what, and eventually, Wilbur's gonna snap. We have to go, Tommy." 

Tommy opens his eyes, watching his best friend. He looks so much older than he should. They're only sixteen, both of them, and Tubbo looks like he's aged hundreds of years. Tommy supposes that war does that to a person. "I don't.." he doesn't want to leave. He doesn't want to leave his home, he doesn't want to leave L'manberg. Not after everything that he's done to try and get it back. He's spent the last few months of his life living in a fucking pit in the ground, trying to convince his brother to not blow everything to shit. He's spent so much time trying to get his home back. But Tubbo, he's..he's right. Tommy can't win. He can't. Even if he killed Schlatt, he would still lose. Schlatt wouldn't give up, and he'd..there would be no point. There's nothing to win. His home was gone the day that Schlatt won the election. "We have to tell Niki."

Tubbo smiles at him, looking less tired than he had. "We will," he turns back to look at the sun, tears still trailing down his face. "We'll be okay, Tommy. We're going to be okay."

"No, we're not," he laughs, a pitiful sound ringing in his own ears. "We're not going to be fucking fine. I hate this. I don't want to go," he whispers. "I'm..don't make me, Tubbo. Don't make me go," Tommy turns to stare at his friend, wishing he wasn't as scared as he is. "Please." 

"I'm not making you do anything," Tubbo breathes in, glancing towards the rising sun. "If..if you think it's best for us to stay, Tommy, I- I'll stay," Tubbo tells him, and Tommy knows that it's true. He knows that Tubbo wouldn't lie to him, not about this, not about anything. But especially not about this, not now. "I'll stick with you. Whatever you think is best, Tommy, I- I'll be here. I'm not going to leave you on your own. I'll keep spying and..yeah. If you want to stay, we'll..we'll stay." 

"We have to." Tommy murmurs, dragging his knees up to his chest. He's so cold. He's _so_ fucking cold. He can't remember the last time he was warm. 

Oh. 

Memories of L'manberg come flooding back into his mind, sitting on the walls with Tubbo, laughing at Fundy and Eret. Exploring with Wilbur, learning politics and terms and how to rule. Making fun of Fundy for his ears, making fun of Eret for his sunglasses. Memories of them all sitting by their firepit, eating something that Niki had made for them. Memories of laughing and happiness and..and..

He was warm then. 

"I'm scared, Tubbo," Tommy whispers. "I'm so scared."

"So am I," Tubbo leans closer to him, resting his head on his shoulder. "We'll be okay. Not soon, but..we'll be okay. We've got each other, right?" He offers a smile, even if Tommy can't see it, he knows that he's doing it. Tubbo always smiles in uncomfortable situations, he just _does_. "So long as we've got each other, we'll be fine. It's always been you and me against the world, hasn't it? Ever since we came here, we..it was always us."

Tommy forces himself to stand up, feeling his hands shake. "It always has been us. Even before here," he breathes out, offering a hand to his best friend. He's always wanted to live with Tubbo, to live with his best friend. To make them a home, to be _together_. So long as he had his right-hand man, he'd be okay. Tommy thought he had found that in L'manberg. He was so sure that they could finally be okay, that they had finally found home. He was wrong. He was so fucking wrong. He watches as Tubbo takes his hand, pulling himself up. "Let's..let's tell Niki." 

Tubbo smiles at him, and it's filled with agony. "Tommy."

"What?" He says it with more anger than he means to, feeling himself start to shake with rage. He's so angry. Wilbur is making him do this. If they hadn't held that fucking election, none of this would have happened. If Wilbur hadn't..if he hadn't..if he..

"We can stay," Tubbo murmurs. "I'll stay if that's what you want. I'll stay." 

"No," Tommy shakes his head. He knows that Tubbo's just making sure this is what he really wants, but it _hurts_. It's so fucking painful, and he hates it so much. He knows he shouldn't snap at him, he shouldn't snap at his best friend. Not after everything. But it's so fucking _difficult_. "You know that isn't what I want." 

Tubbo raises an eyebrow at him. "You're making it sound like that's what you want."

"I.." Tommy swallows back his pride, nodding. He knows. He wants to stay. 

He can't. 

"Come on, Tommy," Tubbo reaches out, taking him by the hand. "We're going to be fine. We ca- we can always come back, you know? Schlatt isn't going to kill me just because I made a..a.."mistake". He's not like that," Tubbo smiles, though it's full of hurt. "Do you ever regret it?" Tubbo asks, staring off somewhere. Tommy tries to follow his gaze, but he can't.

"Regret what, big man?"

"Coming here," Tubbo turns back to look at him. "To the SMP. Everything happened because we came here. Because we tried to fight for- for our freedom. 'Cause Wilbur.." he sighs. "Maybe we should have never come here. All we did was fuck it up, and now we're leaving it for everyone else to clean up. I.." Tubbo pauses. "I don't think Niki is going to stay. She's gonna try to help Wilbur, and when she realises she can't, she's..she's going to take him and go. I don't know where, but they're going to leave. And Fundy is gonna go with them, and Eret isn't going to stick around. He might be the King, but he isn't going to stay to watch his home burn to the ground."

"It's not his fucking home," Tommy spits, curling up his lip. "He betrayed us, Tubbo. L'manberg isn't his."

Tubbo gives him a look, one that means something so much more than he knows. "He's been helping me get to Pogtopia. He comes up with excuses and sometimes Schlatt hurts him because of it." 

"I-"

"He got..seven lashes," Tubbo breathes out. "Or eight. Not sure. But he- he keeps doing it. He keeps getting hurt to get me out of here, and he d- he doesn't.." he closes his eyes. "I want to say goodbye to him, too. And Fundy."

"Fundy's a traitor."

"Nah," Tubbo smiles, and then he starts to walk. Tommy follows after him, not like he has much of a choice, anyways. "He's been keeping a journal. About everything Schlatt's been doing, his health. How it's declining. We've talked a lot," he sounds..so confident. Tommy feels his head start to spin, his vision swimming. When did Tubbo start to make connections? Tommy knows his best friend isn't stupid, he's..he's really not, he's good at a lot of things, but he never thought that Tubbo could..do _this_. Without anyone finding out, either. Tommy didn't even know. Was Tubbo keeping it from him? Why? Why would he do that? "Once we're gone, I think they're gonna know that it's finally happening."

Tommy blinks. "That what's finally happening?" Tubbo pauses in his tracks, tilting his head and beaming at Tommy. 

"The revolution, Tommy. What else?" 

* * *

"Sorry, Techno," Tommy murmurs, leading his horse out of the pen. It never got a name, but Tommy figures that Rocket is good enough for now. "I know you worked hard for him," he sighs, patting Rocket's flank. He's a good horse. Saying goodbye to Niki was arguably one of the hardest things he's ever done. He was so close to crying, to collapsing in her arms and just sobbing. Everyone always told him that Niki was soft, but _god_ , they're all wrong. She's probably one of the strongest people he's met. If anyone can pull Wilbur down from his paranoia, it's Niki. He wishes that she could come with them. He wishes that he didn't have to leave. "Tubbo?" He turns his head at the sudden crackling of leaves, adrenaline kicking.

"Hey, Tommy," Tubbo smiles, waving. He breathes out, letting himself relax for a second. If that had been Wilbur, or even Techno..he wouldn't have been able to lie his way out of it. Wilbur can always tell when he's upset, and Techno's good at picking up on things in general. "Eret gave me a couple of Pearls and a compass, so if we ever get lost, we can come back here." 

Tommy nods, swinging himself over the horse. "Alright. You ready, big man?" Tommy reaches out, pulling Tubbo up onto Rocket with him. 

"As ready as I'll ever be," Tubbo laughs. "Goodbye, L'manberg!" He whisper-yells, his voice echoing in Tommy's ears. "We'll come back one day." 

"Yeah," Tommy agrees, biting down on his lip as he stares out at his home. What used to be home. He can see Eret's castle from here, he can see the stupid church he helped build with Dream. They used to be friends, after the first war. Well, maybe not _friends_. Acquaintances, that's the word for it. The beacons swirl in the sky, flickering and changing colours every few seconds. "Goodbye, L'manberg." 

_Goodbye, Wilbur._

* * *

Traveling is hard. 

Tommy knew that much, but he never thought it would be so difficult. Leaving was the hardest part, and then not turning around was even worse. He had to give Tubbo Rocket's reins for a few hours, just so he wouldn't turn them around and run back home. It isn't home, he has to keep reminding himself that. L'manberg will always be his home, but it isn't..it shouldn't be. He got exiled from his home. But there's so many memories, so many..he left so many people behind. He left Fundy and Niki behind, he left _Eret_ behind, even if he doesn't trust the man. He left Wilbur and Techno. 

He left his brothers. 

Wilbur might have gone fucking mental, but he's still Tommy's brother. They're still brothers. Phil always told them to stick together, and that if all else failed, they'd have each other. That they'd always have each other, because they were family, and that's what family did - they stuck together. Tommy feels a pit of guilt in his chest, holding his breath for a moment. "Tommy? Are you alright?" It's barely been three days since they left, and that question has remained the same every single day.

"Yeah," he lies, wrapping his arms around Tubbo's middle, leaning his head on his friend's shoulder. He's so tired. They both are, Tommy knows that. "Do you think we'll find somewhere soon?" He asks, feeling his heart start to hurt again. For a few hours, he couldn't feel anything. He was entirely numb to the world, nothing was making him feel anything. Everything was just a blur. But now the numbness is gone entirely, and he feels _everything_. Part of him wishes that he told Tubbo to stay in L'manberg, to not give up. But there was nothing left anymore. 

He couldn't talk sense into Wilbur, and no one else was going to be able to do it. No one other than Niki, at least. Maybe Fundy or Phil, but Phil's never set foot on the SMP. "Probably not," Tubbo admits. "I think we should go pretty far. Just in case Schlatt tries to hunt me down, you know?" He laughs, though it's broken and shattered. Tommy knows the feeling. That's _all_ he's been feeling. "I think I'd like to live by a flower forest, you know? Or by an ocean. I'd like to start up another bee farm, actually. I can show you how I set my old one up, and we can do that together! And then we'll have to build the house, and replant, and all of that.." Tubbo trails off. "What do we want in a house?"

Tommy recognises Tubbo's game. He's trying to make him think of everything other than L'manberg. 

Tommy knows damn well that it isn't going to work. 

"Well," Tommy clears his throat, shifting to lean back as much as he can. "I'd like to have two or three floors. A loft, probably, and a basement. Maybe a brewing room for you, since you've started to get interested in all of that shit. I'd like to- to have a little farm, you know? Even though I don't have Henry anymore, I'd still like to find another cow. We could set up your beehives close to the farm, and we could set up a dock for fishing. I think living on the coast would be cool, especially if it's on the edge of a flower forest, like you said," he smiles, closing his eyes as he imagines it. "Oh, and the house has to face the sun when it rises."

"Well, of course," Tubbo laughs. "We'll make two balconies, so we can watch the sun rise and set. And we can have two jukeboxes, so we don't have to lug it around! I'd like to make the kitchen pretty big, I wanna learn how to cook, since neither of us can. We can make a garden, too! For the bees, and just 'cause it's pretty to look at. Maybe a little greenhouse, too." 

"A greenhouse?" Tommy raises an eyebrow. "What, for when it gets cold?"

"Yeah!" Tubbo nods. "For when it gets too cold for my bees and for the flowers. We can have a small one, I'm not gonna need that big of a greenhouse for my bees, don't worry. Or am I?" 

Tommy laughs, rolling his eyes. "If we could block some of the ocean off, like, to make a dam or whatever. So we could have a little swimming pool, 'nd all that. I think that'd be cool. Oh, and a mine. We're gonna need a mine. And a portal," Tommy frowns, gnawing on his lip. "But..would that hook up to L'manberg's? To Pogtopia's portal?" 

"Don't think so," Tubbo shrugs. "We'll be far enough out that it shouldn't connect. And if it does, all we'll have to do is just go back through it, and it'll take us back home, anyways. Maybe that's how we can visit!" Tubbo grins, Tommy can hear it in his voice. "Once everything is all settled and done, we can come back and visit and say hello to everyone. Woah!" Tommy slams into Tubbo's back, wincing at the sharp pain in his nose. 

"What the hell, big man?" He mutters, clutching the side of his face. "What the fuck was that all abou-"

 _Oh_.

Tommy stares below them, stares at the ocean. He stares at the thousands of birch trees and flowers, watching as they blow gently in the breeze. 

"It's exactly what we wanted," Tubbo murmurs. "And we're really..we're far away from L'manberg.." Tommy hops off of Rocket, moving to stare off of the cliff. 

It's perfect. 

"Well," he clears his throat, anxiety settling in his stomach. "It'll be night soon enough. Let's start building."

* * *

Tommy never thought that building would be as hard as it is, but _god_ , it fucking sucks. He hauls another oak log over his shoulder, dragging it towards the little area Tubbo set up for them. It's right next to the ocean, pushed up against a cliff face. It's facing the sun, and it's _perfect_. They barely have anything set up other than the support beams, but they're trying. To be fair, Tommy's never built a fucking house before. He doubts Tubbo has, either. 

"Tommy!" Tubbo grins at him when he throws the log to the ground, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "I think we've got this," Tommy wheezes, doubling over when he hears his back pop. _Ow_. "I've already started to get the floor laid down with cement, but it takes forever to make, and I-"

"I know," Tommy laughs, sliding down to sit up against the log. "I think we should just sleep. I'm going through hell tryin' to bring these logs back, and I'm getting fucking shot at, there's spiders literally everywhere, I think I've pissed off some of the biggest men ever."

"Endermen?"

"Like I said," he waves a hand, "some of the biggest men ever." 

Tubbo rolls his eyes, sitting down next to him. "We're doing really good, Tommy. I think we're gonna be able to do this. I've got us some bedrolls, so we can just sleep through the night. When we wake up, though, we gotta work. The house isn't gonna make itself, right?" Tommy laughs, nudging Tubbo with his shoulder. "What? I'm right, right?"

"You are, you are," Tommy assures his friend, glancing up at the sky. "It looks different out here."

"Probably 'cause Eret's castle doesn't block it all," Tubbo laughs. "I can't even see the beacons. We must've gone really, really far," Tommy nods, watching as the stars shine down, sparkling and dancing in the sky. "Did you ever believe in the Gods, Tommy?"

"Nah," he shrugs, closing his eyes. "Will used to. He'd go on and on about this..Sky God, or whatever, when he got back home. It took him a long time before he got back to normal. I don't know where he went, but it really fucked with him."

Tubbo makes a noise from the back of his throat, probably in agreement. "Wasn't that the place with New Milo? 'Cause when he came back, he talked about someone named New Milo a lot."

"Yeah.." Tommy looks at his feet, frowning. "And a Peter. Maybe they were Gods," he laughs, rolling his eyes. "Gods aren't real. Why'd you bring it up?" 

Tubbo shrugs, giving him a smile. "I dunno. I, I just thought, you know..we're getting awfully lucky. We got away from L'manberg without a scratch, and then we found the place of our dreams. Maybe the Sky God is looking down on us," he laughs, clapping his hands together when he says it. Tommy winces, wishing that Tubbo hadn't. It reminds him too much of Wilbur. "We really should get some sleep," Tubbo sighs, leaning back against the log. "The bedrolls are in my bag, if you wanna get them. I don't think I'm gonna actually go to bed," he admits. "I won't be too loud, promise." Tommy scowls. 

"Go to sleep, or else I'm not."

"What? That's not fair at all." 

Tommy snorts, standing up. "I've never played fair, now have I, Tubbo?" Tubbo grins at him, pushing himself up to his feet, giving Tommy a light shove before he turns away. 

"I suppose not, Tommy. I suppose not."

* * *

Home is a weird word. 

L'manberg is home. L'manberg will always be home, Tommy knows that. In some fucked up way, Pogtopia is home. Phil's cabin in the middle of the woods is home. Tubbo is home. A lot of people are home to him, but specifically Tubbo. He doesn't know how to describe it, it's just the feeling. The feeling of acceptance, where he doesn't have to constantly be on guard. He knows that Tubbo would keep him safe, and Tommy would do the same. He _has_ done the same, they both have. 

Tommy stares out at the sky, watching as the sun slowly starts to rise. Mellohi plays softly by his side as he leans on the railing of the balcony. How long has it been, again? 

"Hey, Tubbo?" He calls, not bothering to crane his head towards the inside of their home. They built it just like they said they would. A loft, two floors, and a basement. A big kitchen, an alchemy room, a farm, a garden. A greenhouse attached to the left side of their place, and a massive bee farm a mile or so away from here. "How long's it been since we've come here?" 

"Probably a year and a half?" Tubbo responds, sounding unsure. Tommy wishes he had started to keep track of the days. "Why? What's up, you good?"

"Yeah," Tommy sighs, feeling Tubbo lean on the railing next to him. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? It doesn't even feel like it."

Tubbo nods, silently watching the sun. They've never had to speak to communicate, which is both nice and awful. Tommy hates the silence, he hates being around people who won't say shit. "We could always check back on them, you know," his voice is soft, unwavering. Tommy turns to look at him, taking a good look at his best friend for the first time in a long time. He's gotten a bit taller, not by much. His hair needs to be cut again, and it's nearly coming down to his end of his neck. The bags under his eyes have mostly faded, and Tommy knows that his have, too. It was hard at first, but they both started to sleep easily again. Tubbo's got a jagged scar running down the side of his neck, fading off when it reaches his chest. He got that from Sapnap, Tommy's fairly sure. He has scars all over him, a permanent reminder of the war they fought. "Tommy?"

"Yeah," he clears his throat. Tubbo's eyes are a light brighter now. They're less sad, more filled with hope. It's nice. "I don't know if I want to go back," Tommy admits. "What if I don't want to come back?"

"Well," Tubbo shrugs, turning to rest his back on the railing. "If you want to stay, I'm not gonna make you come back. The portal is always here, and we can always go back. I'd..I'd have to move my bees, but I'd manage," he shrugs again. "Not a big deal. We know the way back home, anyways."

"You'd come with?"

"Of course I would," Tubbo raises an eyebrow at him. "Why wouldn't I? We stick together, Tommy. It's the way we've managed to survive everything that's thrown at us. What if you get in a situation you can't get out of, and you're all alone? There's no one to help if you're on your own. At least I'd be able to find you, you know? Same with me," he sighs. "I would rather die than be alone, Tommy. It's been a long time since I've properly been alone, and I didn't like it very much."

Tommy snorts, smiling a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I always am."

"Nah," he grins, whirling around to push his best friend a little. " _I'm_ always right, big man. You've got it the wrong way 'round." Tubbo grins back at him, tilting his head to the side. 

"I think I'm _always_ right, and since _I'm_ always right, that means _you're_ wrong." 

"That's not at all how it works," Tommy protests. "You can't just decide that."

Tubbo grins, his eyes lighting up. "Tommy, I can decide whatever I want if I'm always right. It's just how it works." Tommy laughs, flipping him off. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on, big man. Sun's rising, we should go check on your bees. None of them like me." Tubbo rolls his eyes, throwing a leg over the balcony to reach the ladder on the side of the house. 

"That's 'cause you're too loud," he informs him. Tommy slides down the ladder after him, leaping off of it when he doesn't think he'll break his legs. "And you don't talk to them. They like being talked to."

"They're _bees_." 

Tubbo scowls at him. "I'm gonna go over to Henry and call him a dickhead."

"What?" Tommy frowns. "Why the fuck would you do that? Henry's a big man! An absolute large man, the biggest of men! He doesn't deserve that."

"And neither do my bees."

"Well, that's just.." Tommy sighs, dramatically rolling his eyes and head back. "You suck. You're the absolute worst."

Tubbo smiles at him, that stupid soft look on his face. The one that means he's happy. Tommy feels the exact same way. "Yeah. I am."

* * *

It takes Tommy a lot longer to even consider going back to L'manberg. 

Three more years pass, and he gets more and more comfortable with never setting foot in that portal. He knows damn well that it'll take him back to L'manberg, and he isn't ready for that. He's gotten so used to the quiet life, living with his best friend. Keeping the house clean, repairing everything when it needs to be, harvesting and farming. Fishing, taking care of Henry and Tubbo's bees..everything feels normal. Tommy never thought he'd settle down, especially not after L'manberg.

He was so sure that he was going to be in a war for the rest of his life. 

He was ready to fight every single day. Tommy wasn't afraid of it, he wasn't going to shy away from the prospect of him having to kill more and more people. He wasn't going to back down, he was _so_ fucking ready. So long as he had Tubbo by his side and his home at his back, Tommy never planned to stop fighting. And now he has. The most fighting he does is with the natural-spawning mobs, who aren't even that smart. He remembers his duel with Dream, wincing when he feels a headache start to come on. 

Getting shot wasn't his best moment, that's for sure.

"What if they're all dead?" Tommy asks, anxiety stirring in his chest. "You've only got a certain amount of lives here, and if- if they.."

"Tommy," Tubbo reaches out, squeezing his shoulder. "We don't have to go. It's your suggestion. I'm fine with whatever," he smiles. "We can go next year, or the year after that, or whenever. We don't have to go through today. We don't have to go _ever_. I'll follow you no matter what, okay? I can't say that I'm exactly itching to go back to L'manberg, but it's..I kind of miss it, you know? It isn't like we have to stay long, either. We can blow up the portal so they can't find us if they try to follow us." 

Tommy nods, breathing in. Tubbo is right. Tubbo's always fucking right, it's annoying. 

Well, not really. Tommy isn't sure where he'd be without him. Everyone always called Tommy the brave one, but that's not nearly as true as he wishes it was. Tubbo's fearless, relentless. Those traits only grew after he became Schlatt's right-hand man, and even more so when they left home. "You're right. I hate it when you're right." Tubbo laughs, nudging his arm.

"You always say that, and yet I'm still always right," he grins. "You wanna stay here, man?"

No.

Tommy shakes his head, closing his eyes for a brief second. "I want to go back. For at least a minute." Tubbo nods, taking his arm. 

"Well, let's go then," he beams. Tommy shudders, forcing himself to keep walking. He takes a step into the portal, feeling sick. "Whatever happens, I'm here, okay?" Tubbo murmurs, and Tommy barely can hear his voice over the blood pounding in his ears. "We've got this."

"Yeah," Tommy agrees, wishing he could feel more confident in that. He closes his eyes, feeling the ground shift underneath of him. The warm spring air of home fades, and he breathes in. He opens his eyes, staring at.."L'manberg," Tommy whispers. "It's.." 

It's standing. The podium is torn down, a bit of rubble scattered around. He sees dried blood on the ground in front of him, breathing in sharply. What the fuck? The set up for the festival is all gone, there's..it's just _L'manberg_. The flag isn't the Manberg flag, it's _his_ flag. The flag he and Wilbur came up with. "Tommy," Tubbo whispers, and Tommy can feel his heart drop. He sounds scared. It's been such a long time since Tubbo's sounded scared. "Look at this." Tommy turns to stare at what Tubbo's looking at, involuntary gasping. 

_Schlatt_

_Former President - RIP_

"He's dead," Tommy clears his throat. "He's dead. That's what that means, right? Graves always mean that..Schlatt's gone. I thought.." 

Tubbo squeezes his arm, shifting a little closer to him. "He deserved it," he whispers. "He fucking deserved it. That's why everything is back to normal," Tubbo breathes out. "L'manberg is free, isn't it?" 

"I guess it is," Tommy laughs, feeling his heart soar for a second. "This is the only grave in the entire graveyard, Tubbo. You know what that means, yeah? Everyone else is okay!" He grins, feeling himself start to shake. He's so happy. L'manberg is okay, his home is okay. "I think..this is all I needed to see," he laughs, ducking his head. His nerves are shattered, an overwhelming feeling of confidence washing over him. "I've got everything I need back home. I don't need to stay."

Tubbo smiles at him, the fear wiped off of his face. It's replaced with raw pride and confidence, his head held high as he stares past L'manberg. "Do you want to go back? Or do you want to stay here for a bit?" 

"Nah," Tommy smiles, watching the flag wave in the breeze. "I don't think I need to be here anymore. Let's go home." 

And so they do, walking back into the portal without ever looking back. 


End file.
